Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Winter White Chocoloate Fudge Recipe

It's that time of the year again! Time to shop and enjoy the delicious variety of holiday foods. At my workplace, we've already had two potlucks in the last month, and I am sure there will be more. This means that I have to be on my A-game for making festive, shareable treats. My most recent creation was a white chocolate fudge with pieces of Pirouette hazelnut-filled cookies. I think it turned out well, and it looked very pretty on the table of all the other desserts. My fudge making experience was not completely successful, though.

At first I planned to make the white chocolate fancy fudge and a batch of traditional Hershey's chocolate fudge using Special Dark cocoa powder. You can find the recipe here HERSHEY'S Rich Cocoa Fudge Recipe. I read the reviews and determined that it would be difficult, but I thought I could pull it off. Unfortunately, the fudge never fully set, and it was just a gloopy, sugary mess that I had to throw away. If you attempt the Hershey's recipe, I advise that you follow the instructions to a T. Also don't make it on a rainy day because the humidity really messes it up.

Luckily, though, I had my white chocolate fudge to share with you today, and to take to the potluck. I am not inherently a candy-maker, so I used this recipe from Taste of Home as my base. Instead of using peppermint extract, I used vanilla extract, and I used pieces of Pirouette cookie instead of peppermint candy. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out well.

In the my substitution, I used the same amount of vanilla extract as it called for peppermint, and I used a half a package of Pirouette cookies. One thing I suggest from my *limited* fudge making experience is that you buy those pre-formed foil pans (see below). The pan made it so simple to just pour the fudge in, let it cool, and then pull the sides apart to get it.

As you can see, the fudge was quite buttery after it sat for a while. When I pulled the fudge out of the foil pan, I used a paper towel to absorb some of it. Butter is amazing, but no one wants to get it all over their face at work during a potluck. At least I don't. So, I let it cool for about 4 hours, wiped it off, and then cut it into little pieces. The recipe said to put it in the fridge, but I didn't do that. I didn't want it to get sweaty and my house is cold enough that I knew it wouldn't melt if I didn't put it away. I also sprinkled the top of the fudge with some sparkly, red sprinkles to enhance it's appearance.

To summarize my entire fudge-making experience, I will say that I still have a love-hate relationship with it. Obviously I love to eat fudge, but making it is a temperamental process. I am better at making soups, gravies, and other dishes that don't require me to follow exact ingredients and instructions. I like to improvise and get creative based on my own preferences. I commend you, though, if you are a good candy maker because it isn't easy.